Thursday, April 16, 2015

Red Benches - A 10 minute makeover !

Good Morning everyone !

We've had such a beautiful week here in Montreal - beautiful enough to start the spring cleaning of the backyard which was in pretty rough shape from winter.

Especially on these 2 benches I've had for at least 10 years.


They sat outside in the front last summer as plant stands - but they aren't very curb appeal worthy
looking like this - ( which was why I hid them completely with plants lol )
I pulled out some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint - Emperor's silk - and gave them a new life yesterday -
Each bench took 10 minutes !
It was a very quick coat obviously - I didn't want perfection - and when using chalk paint on outdoor furniture you don't wax ( it'll melt with the hot sun ) so that eliminated the process I love most  ( NOT )


As much as I tend to stick with whites and greys on the inside of the house - I really do love color on the outside !


Maybe this year they'll actually be used as benches to sit on now that they've been cleaned up!


And do you remember my outdoor kitchen unit I painted last year ( you can see that post  HERE )


I was fully prepared to see the paint peeling off it everywhere with the snow we had this winter...........
But it held up beautifully !
Rustoleum !


That impresses me almost as much as the weather we've had this week !

I can't wait for summer to be in full force


and the back yard bursting with color


But for now I have to be contented with a couple of little red benches !


( that tree behind the bench is where a fairy garden will soon reside )

Have a wonderful day everyone !

Much love,
Me



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31 comments:

  1. Great makeover! I love the color. Enjoy your day.

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  2. Those look great, Suzan. I have to say I am always shocked to see you use COLOR. lol That back area is really beautiful with the pool and patio. You will love it this summer, I know. I told John I am putting RED geraniums out front this summer (his favorite) and he about fell over. I just need some COLOR after this long hard GREY winter. xo Diana

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  3. I'm so glad that you are having warm and sunny days...I'm doing the same outside. Sprucing up for the summer. Love your benches, Suze. xo

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  4. So glad that you are finally getting Spring there. I love the benches and I would use them as benches not plant stands. Some pretty pillows on them and what a great place to sit and relax. I also love color in the gardens - I like them to pop.
    Have fun in your garden.....
    Hugs
    Mary

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  5. Well, that red bench would fit right in at my house!

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  6. Great benches and I like the red colour. Looking good. We need to sand and re-stain our 2 cedar Merrimack lawn chairs this spring and I'm trying to decide on a colour that will go with our 'natural cedar' stained deck. It's much colder here today - only 6 and windy too. Brr. It will be nice to be able to get out and do yard cleanup and deck decorating. :)

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  7. It is great to be able to get out and do things in the yard,that is my favorite place to be. I love your benches.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Marlene - I love being out there too - it feels like freedom after the winter lol
      xoxo

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  8. I love your little red bench! Have you used chalk paint for outdoor furniture before? I was wondering how it will hold up, I have a few pieces in my yard in need of paint !!!

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  9. I love your benches, especially in the red, fabulous! You lucky girl, you will have beautiful peonies to reward your hard work in the yard. I could cry I love your garden so much. Here? Well it's a rats nest of a bulb here or there, no rhyme or reason, so it all must be torn out (loads of work) then redone. I am sore and tired and extremely grumpy just thinking of it. Oh, and scrapping exterior wood to repaint the whole exterior. Better stock up on wine... xo Patty

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  10. You are further along then we are in NJ. The weather has been crazy. One minute cool. Then a nit warm. Mostly cloudy with little sun. We do need rain.

    Table is great

    Cindy

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  11. I'll take a little red anywhere, Suzan! So pretty!

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  12. that outdoor kitchen...AWESOME...I'm emailing this to my girl..and we'll start looking for one to re-do for her beautiful patio...
    and I can't wait for you to teach us how to do a fairy garden.
    I have to tell you that in a post, I mentioned.....WAIT...I can't write that...never mind.
    And, tell me what JOHN said when you wanted a fairy garden....LOL...WAIT...you can't write that, either. LOL

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  13. Such a pretty color! I didn't know that you could let things that are painted with chalk paint get wet!

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  14. Fairy garden? You must be expecting a girl grandbaby.

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  15. Wow, never thought of that, please will you share with y readers http://prettyshabbyuk.blogspot.co.uk

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  16. Wow, never thought of that, please will you share with y readers http://prettyshabbyuk.blogspot.co.uk

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  17. Love the looks of your red benches. They will really bring that 'pop' of color to your garden / seating area.
    Great that your outdoor kitchen unit held up and is already and waiting to be used.
    That Rustoleum is wonderful stuff

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  18. The red benches are so cheerful! I'm sure your guests will all want to sit on them! After reading your post, I realized the green bench and chair on our front porch are definitely in need of freshening up--I hadn't thought about using ASCP on them. That opens up a lot of color possibilities I had not considered before. Yay! There is a place at the foot of a tree in our backyard that could host a fairy garden, so I am looking forward to seeing yours and getting all inspired to start mine. Thanks for sharing your luscious and inviting yard with us!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Ruth !
      It's a wonderful " outdoor " paint !
      Have yourself a great weekend
      xoxox

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  19. What a beautiful pop of color the red adds! I have to say your backyard is just gorgeous and I love your outdoor kitchen. On a sad note, I saw three, yes three MOSQUITOES yesterday.......nooooooooooo!

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  20. Love the benches RED. My outdoor metal cabinet looks like your "before" ... I think I will paint it the color of yours. Will have to take a look and see what color you used.
    Thanks for stopping by Timeless Treasures with a sweet comment on my old kitchen table.
    Hugs,
    Audrey

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  21. So pretty. love the color you chose Suzan. Thank you for sharing at Share It One More Time. Cathy

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  22. Every garden needs a shot of red - I turned a pallet into a potting bench for my "red fix" - but I can see that adding a bench might be on my to-do list as well. Thanks for sharing.
    Found you through Between Naps on the Porch
    Shelly @ 100Things2Do.ca

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  23. Love the benches, i want to add pops of red to my yard, such a cheerful colour! Thank you for sharing

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  24. I love the color! So good to know that your painted kitchen unit held up over the winter. Thanks so much Suzan for sharing at VIParty.

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  25. Love the red bench and wow can't believe how the Rustoleum paint on your kitchen unit held up through the winter we just had. You should drop them a note with a picture!
    Thanks for linking up to SYS and have a great week!
    XO Barbara

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Due to a large amount of spam ( that I'm tired of going back to posts and deleting ) I'll be using comment moderation from now on !!!
Can I beat these spammers at their own game? Probably not - but I'm going
to try my damnedest !!!
xoxo